


Silly ornament

by lime_kitty



Series: Christmas Collection [3]
Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, First Christmas, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28362606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lime_kitty/pseuds/lime_kitty
Summary: "Humans put the future of their relationship in a parasitic plant during Christmas?"Zane is both flabbergasted and fascinated by the mistletoe tradition, and of course, he plans on going through it with his boyfriend.Will he manage to get a kiss from the cocky and carefree ninja of fire though?
Relationships: Kai/Zane (Ninjago)
Series: Christmas Collection [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056407
Comments: 17
Kudos: 40





	Silly ornament

**Author's Note:**

> Last one from this Christmassy series for now. Maybe next year I'll find it in me to write some smut...  
> Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the holidays! ♥ Let's pray for better luck in 2021

_ Flick! _

The Christmas lights came alive and cast their shy but colorful shine all over the hallway.

Nya whooped and Zane smiled back at her. Both ninjas were happy with the results of their work. While putting up all the decorations for Christmas around the house wasn't exactly a complicated task —at least not as tough as the many battles they faced regularly— it was something that required time, given how big the Monastery was. Nonetheless, the masters of Water and Ice didn't give up.

They returned to the living room and kept extracting lights and varied ornaments from the cardboard boxes, allocating them evenly as they put them up to embellish their home when Zane found a strange item at the bottom.

He examined it carefully, yet the inspection only left the nindroid even more confused. Why was there a fake parasitic plant tied with a pretty bow inside the box? 

"Oh, great! You found the mistletoe!"

Zane looked up at Nya.

"You wanna take care of it?" The young woman asked before focusing back on the tangled bright red beads in her hands.

Zane nodded out of habit but found himself staring at the unfamiliar object yet again, with no clue as to what he was supposed to do with it.

"Uhm, Nya," he called for his friend in the end. "I'm sorry, where should I put this?"

"Oh, anywhere will be fine," she replied absentmindedly. The master of Water only noticed something was off when Zane remained still in his place. "What?"

"Forgive me, but... I'm not familiar with this specific ornament, maybe you should take care of this one."

Nya blinked several times.

"You've never seen a mistletoe?"

Zane let a low chuckle at the question. "No, I have, I am aware of the existence of this plant. What I don't exactly understand is the reason behind it being a Christmas decoration."

"Oh, honey…" Nya cooed with somewhat sad eyes. "I guess your dad never told you."

The white ninja arched an eyebrow at her comment, but before he could inquire any further, his fellow teammate walked up to him, took the ornament from his hands, and held it over their heads. Then a peck was placed on Zane's cheek.

Although it wasn't completely a surprising move coming from Nya, Zane gave her an incredulous look.

"When two people find themselves under the mistletoe, they have to kiss. That's basically it," said the girl.

A simple explanation, with a simple and practical demonstration. It should have been enough. Keyword here being ' _ should'. _

"Why?" Zane asked.

" _ 'Why' _ ?" Nya hummed in thought for a moment. "I actually don't know. I have no idea where the tradition originates from. I just know it's supposed to give you good luck in love, help you make peace with the other person, protect your family… You know, all that stuff."

Zane's perplexed expression refused to disappear. It made no sense to the calculated robot why a plant that fed off of bigger colleagues —and which berries were quite indigestible— would be used to make such a tender Christmas prop.

A part of Nya's explanation, however, ricocheted in his mind.

_ 'Good luck in love.' _

The Water ninja seemed to catch a glimpse at Zane's thoughts. With a giggle, she walked to the entrance of the living room and asked Zane for help as they hung the corsage on the frame together.

"Maybe you can try it with my brother later," Nya said, giving Zane a friendly pat on the shoulder.

The nindroid felt the sensors on his cheeks lighting up with a faint blush and Nya chuckled.

Soon enough, the two of them went back to their previous task, but Zane's mind kept going in circles about the recent discovery.

_ Good luck in love… _

Over the time he'd spent with his ninja family Zane had learned a lot about humans. Although they were rational creatures, they were rarely logical most of the time. Why did they believe an object that resembled a plant would attract positivity into their lives? Why confide the future of relationships in an ornament they only used once a year? There was no scientific base to prove the mistletoe was 'magic'.

But… What if it was real? What if there was room for mysterious forces in this world that even escaped Zane's vast knowledge? After all,  _ they _ had magic powers!

Zane worried at his lower lip in deep thought. What would happen if he and Kai kissed under the mistletoe? Would their relationship strengthen in some way? And, on the other hand, would it become deteriorated if they didn't?

Maybe he could give it a try when the boys came back home from shopping.

♦️♦️♦️

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

Time seemed to escape through Zane's digits as the day went by, and he had yet to get a kiss with Kai under the mistletoe.

As soon as Jay had walked through the door and spotted the little plant he'd gone full smooching mode, 'casually' lingering by the archway and taking every little opportunity he had to deliver kisses to his ninja family. 

Cole and Lloyd had given the nindroid a soft peck on the cheek too, the latter being a bit shyer as he wasn't used to openly show affection. 

But for some reason, Zane just couldn't happen to meet with his boyfriend on that exact spot, and he was starting to grow desperate. He would even walk slower or faster on purpose when Kai moved around the room, but alas, either the boy miraculously managed to get away or someone had to distract Zane at that right moment.

He could always try and force a situation.

Zane grimaced at his own idea. No, that was not his style. And if that fairy tale was true, the magic surely wouldn't work if Zane just straight up asked Kai to kiss him under the mistletoe.

The nindroid looked at Jay with a smidge of jealousy. The lightning elemental was having much better luck than him. The blue ninja just seemed to have an inborn skill to get close to people. With his blabber and adorable hyperactivity, no one resisted him when he decided to smother and squeeze you. 

Well, no one but Kai. 

The master of fire was indeed getting tired of his over-excited teammate, which initiated some sort of bet between them, with Jay making the impossible to catch Kai unguarded, and the other trying his best to keep the kissy boy away from him.

“Jay, I swear if you get those lips next to me again, I’m gonna burn them and seal them forever!” Kai yelled. His brother-in-law just chuckled with fictitious innocence.

Admittedly, their hilarious and loud squabble got a few smiles out of Zane. Oh, well, he could always try that kissing tradition another day. Maybe if he just pretended the ornament wasn’t there, destiny would find a way to put him and his lover underneath its leaves.

As the time for dinner came closer, Zane busied himself in the kitchen with the food. His friends’ playful banter reached him from the other room and warmed his heart. 

"Do you need any more help, Zane?" Lloyd asked, peeping his head into the kitchen.

"No, I'm done here," He said turning off the stove. "Although could you please set the table?"

With the green ninja's help, the table was ready by the time Zane walked into the room with a big pot of one of his special soup recipes. The earlier ruckus had quieted down and all of his friends smiled widely when the delicious smell of the broth reached their noses.

"Oh, I forgot the bread," Zane commented. "I'll be right back."

It was when he turned around to retrace his steps that Zane's eyes immediately zeroed in on the mistletoe. Or more precisely —the  _ absence  _ of it.

He didn't even have the time to ponder where had the ornament gone to, chaos suddenly erupted behind him.

Jay jumped on Kai's back, taking the boy by surprise at the same time he flashed the mistletoe decoration in front of him.

"Gotcha!" He cried out right before pursing his lips and forcefully smacking a kiss on Kai's cheek.

"God damnit, Jay!!!" The master of fire shouted in anger and a fireball appeared in his hand in a millisecond.

Jay barely had time to push himself away as Kai spun around and aimed at him. The lightning ninja managed to dodge the shot by a hair —literally, the flames passed right next to his head. The projectile, although, didn't completely miss a target.

The fireball landed on the floor a couple of feet away, taking down the Christmas decoration that had been hanging by the door not a minute prior.

As fast as she could, Nya threw a small spray of water out of her hands to put down the fire before it spread all over their house.

"Kai! What in heaven's name are you doing?!" The girl berated her brother.

"I told him to fucking drop it!" Kai pointed at Jay who was yet sprawled on the floor with a dumbfounded expression plastered all over his freckled face. "I told him yet he fucking  _ did it again _ !"

When the shock faded away, Jay stretched out a hand to retrieve the carbonized mistletoe. Kai must have been really angry, for the fire had been so powerful that just a couple of seconds had been enough to melt the thing down into an unrecognizable shape.

"Aww, you burned it…" Jay whined with a pout.

"Good! I'm tired of you and that stupid thing!" Kai spat, his body still tense and on the verge of exploding a second time.

"I'll buy another one," Jay said with a teasing smile, which Kai didn't like.

Thankfully Cole, Nya, and Lloyd got between the two of them to stop the fight, asking Kai to control himself and for Jay to turn down his enthusiasm a couple of degrees.

Zane though could only stare at the ruined 'stupid ornament' with sad eyes.

♦️♦️♦️

Just as music calms the savage beast, Zane's cooking lifted up the mood in a matter of minutes. No anger could resist when such deliciousness filled your mouth. 

While Kai had refused to sit next to Jay, his body had soon relaxed and there was no risk of him combusting again, so as long as Jay kept his promise too and left Kai alone, Nya would see that he did —for the safety of everyone.

The merriness of the Christmas spirit seemed to come back to the ninja’s home. The room filled with laughter and playful chatter while they all enjoyed the fantastic meal and relaxed ambiance. Everyone... but a certain nindroid.

Zane did his best to appear as neutral as usual, but the truth was that he couldn't stop thinking about the no-more mistletoe.

He would not know if the tale was true and the plant granted happiness to those who united under its leaves. Even if they did get a new ornament, Zane didn't have it in him to ask Kai for a kiss of those characteristics, not after how the boy had reacted earlier with Jay. Zane had to admit he'd lost his chance that time. 

Being in the company of his ninja family soothed a part of the nindroid, for someone was always saying something to make the others laugh. However, as soon as he could, Zane excused himself to go wash the dishes before the celebrations dragged way late into the night, and tried his hardest for none of them to join him in the task. He favored loneliness at those moments, as he wasn’t sure he could keep fooling his companions for much longer.

Zane was just starting to fall deeper into his misery when a poke on the ribs made him bounce in surprise. 

“Hey, gorgeous.” Kai appeared behind him and pecked his cheek.

Hands still inside the soapy sink, Zane looked at the other boy in mild astonishment.

“I came to help you,” Kai said and didn’t wait a second before pulling up his sleeves and grabbing another sponge. 

The determination with which Kai started to wash the several plates and cutlery without being ordered to, had Zane utterly lost for a moment. He’d been hoping to be alone for a bit, away from any stimulus from his friends, yet... Once again, he didn’t have the bravery to confront his beau and ask him to go away. Zane hoped that destiny never put the two of them against each other in a cruel twist of events, for Kai was his only weakness.

The couple worked together in silence. Few glances were exchanged here and there, and every time that happened, Kai would smile widely at his boyfriend, yet say nothing more. Zane found it somewhat odd for an extroverted individual like Kai that liked to be the center of attention most part of the time, but in the end, he managed to relax a bit. Maybe solitude was the least of things he needed in his current state.

Zane put the last plate on the drying rack and exhaled, happy to be done with the cleaning. As he turned around, he found Kai by his side, smiling yet again as he leaned on the side of the sink.

"So… where did I fuck up?"

"Uh?" Zane blinked with confusion at the other’s question.

"Where did I fuck up?” Kai repeated. “I know something is on your mind. You’ve been acting all awkward, forgetting things, being extra fidgety, making up excuses…”

“I… I don’t…”

“You never reject our help, Zane. And the only reason why you would try to keep us all away so persistently is... because it involves  _ me _ ."

For once, Zane thought he understood the meaning of  _ being frozen on the spot _ .

“How did you…?”

“I’m your boyfriend; I know you. And I know you always worry too much about me. But I’ve told you this before; if I do something that upsets you, you have to tell me, babe." 

Kai reached up and cupped Zane's cheeks, bringing his face in closer as his dirt green eyes bore holes on Zane's glowing optics.

"It's… nothing…" Zane tried to dodge the ball once more, embarrassed to his circuits that his dissimulation skills were that bad.

Kai smirked and narrowed his eyes.

“You might be the patient one of the team, but I am the most… strong-willed, you know?"

_ Obstinate would probably be a more proper choice _ , Zane thought with a faint giggle. Kai laughed as well.

"So tell me. What did I do?" Kai asked one last time.

And Zane told him. The red ninja listened in silence as Zane explained about how he'd recently discovered the mistletoe tradition, and how he'd been meaning to follow it for the whole afternoon because, as Nya had mentioned, that could bring prosperity to their relationship. While Kai made sure to direct all of his attention to Zane's speech, his eyebrows arched more and more every time, making his boyfriend more self-conscious of the situation. 

"I know the incident you had with Jay shouldn't have affected me so deeply. I'm sorry for my previous behavior," Zane apologized, now more aware of how ridiculous it had been for him to get all depressed over an innocent human tradition.

"Uhm… I mean, yeah, it's  _ surprising _ for you to believe in such fairy tales with so much conviction." Zane averted his eyes. "But, babe, you don't have to apologize for that." Kai guided Zane's face to the front again and let his thumbs brush against the cool metal plates on the sides.

"It was only a silly ornament as you said."

"Whatever it was,  _ it mattered to you _ , and I'm sorry I didn't notice it faster. I don't really care about that type of stuff but I have no problem going along with it for you."

Zane's heart started to warm up. Not many people knew this but, under all that cocky and superficial exterior, Kai was one of the sweetest persons to ever exist.

"I'll buy a new one," said the master of fire. "Better yet, I'll find the real deal somewhere!"

"No, please, I don't want you and Jay to end up having another fight."

Kai was about to protest, but Zane was probably right. Jay liked to piss off the fire elemental because of how easy it was to get him worked up like that. Even if the others tried their best to keep peace around the house, Jay would try to keep stealing kisses every so often —especially from the person that least wanted them.

"It's alright, Kai. Even if that sort of magic did exist… it would be foolish to put the future of our relationship in something that has no solid scientific base," Zane said and tried to convince himself, more than Kai, that his reasoning wasn't wrong.

His boyfriend didn't look much satisfied with that arrangement. Kai pouted and dragged his lower lip into his mouth in deep thought. He suddenly blinked after a moment and took out his phone.

"What are you doing now?" Zane asked him.

"Just wait a sec." Kai tapped on the screen a few times, a smile appeared on his lips. "This one."

He turned the device around and showed it to the other boy. An image of a mistletoe ornament similar to the one they had hung on the doorway shined bright on the screen.

Zane was about to inquire Kai again when his boyfriend stretched his arm up —and held the phone over their heads. Zane's gaze went from his boyfriend to the phone several times, but he couldn't understand the meaning of Kai's actions.

Amused at his sometimes-too-oblivious nindroid, Kai decided to enlighten him.

"Go ahead, kiss me."

Flabbergasted, Zane examined the picture one more time.

"But it's… it's not real."

"Neither was that plastic shit." Kai chuckled.

Zane took another look at the picture. His insides warmed up as if Kai was using his elemental powers on him, but in reality, it was just Zane's feelings overflowing his system.

Blue orbs landed again on the ninja of fire, beaming strong for the hothead reflected on them. Zane felt the luckiest living thing in the universe, maybe even in all of the sixteen realms! 

Shyly, he put his hands on Kai's waist and brought him closer, completely weakened by his boyfriend's adorable and creative solution.

Kai just kept smiling as he waited for the delivery to take place.

"Will it… will it work, however? The…  _ magic _ , I mean," Zane asked, mere inches away from Kai's lips now, still embarrassed to his very circuits that a science person like him could even leave room for that sort of chimeras.

Kai smirked, confident.

"I guess we won't know unless we try." His eyelids closed.

Maybe there was no magic in the end, maybe the mistletoe tradition had just been misinterpreted at some point, maybe this was the most stupid thing Zane would ever fall for. But as he lowered his head and placed his lips on Kai, there was something he was sure of.

He wanted to do this next year as well, and the next, and the following one too. Whatever surprises destiny had in store for them, the nindroid would fight them all to stay one more day with the love of his life.


End file.
